Thursday, November 01, 2012

451 SHORT FILM OFFICIAL ONLINE PREMIERE

Online Premiere

So I've been working on a short film, on and off since early 2011. After a long and stressful post production period, the film is finally finished. I decided to go with a Halloween digital premiere on Wednesday October 31 on http://451film.com

The film is based on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. I had read the novel many years ago when I had graduated from film school. At the time I spent many hours in the local public library writing stories, reading and borrowing books since I was an unemployed starving animator. What struck me the most about Fahrenheit 451 was the way in which Bradbury described the futuristic dystopian world. The images that came to my mind really stuck with me, and I think it was the combination of seeing the work of Syd Mead along with reading Fahrenheit 451 that sparked my imagination, leaving a long lasting impression.

back then I didn't know that François Truffaut made a film version in the 60s until much later, as well I didn't think I'd ever attempt a short film adaptation.

Inspiration for the film came years later in 2010, when I discovered there was Fahrenheit 451 the graphic novel. The images in my mind had come to life on the stunning pages of The Authorized Adaptation and it was then that the possibility of a modern live-action version didn't seem so far fetched. And so I enlisted the help of local Vancouver artist, Daryl Mandryk for concept art on the infamous Mechanical Hound, which served as inspiration for the production. And the rest is history.

As an independent filmmaker, it's always difficult finding the right help on a shoestring budget. There's not much room to negotiate and there are times when options look slim to none. "Should I keep going, or should I quit?" It's hard on the wallet for self-funded productions dealing with people who don't necessarily understand the restraints of no-budget filmmaking. No kickstarter. No indiegogo. Asking for help is necessary, but being honest with your filmmaking situation is a requirement. Some doors will open, while plenty of others will be slammed.

I'm very lucky to have found the right help for my short films. Many talented people that take time out of their 'higher' paid jobs on a short interesting project. When all the stress of production is over, it becomes clear that the rocky ride of indie filmmaking is totally worth the journey.

As Ray Bradbury said, "the things that you do, should be the things that you love, and the things that you love, should be things that you do", and I love making movies and collaborating with like-minded people.